The outline for the single hons news reporting course (Tuesdays - self contained) has been posted to the third year section of the site. Please note that you need to start trying to line yourself up with a work placement of at least two weeks over easter, or in the term after easter.
You will need to do at least 15 days of work attachment, which must include a block of two consecutive weeks (minimum) and a further week, or five non-consecutive days (ie one day a week for five or more weeks).
You need to prove that you have done this by obtaining a letter of reference from the place where you do your work experience. Without this you will not be able to graduate on the single honours pathway this year (BJTC requirement).
Some students have already done this and a few have prior industrial experience which may count. If you are serious about going in to journalism then you will be doing as many work placements as possible.
I went to a BJTC conference and they were going nuts about a student at another college who had sent a letter asking for work attachment with spelling mistakes in it, and also being kind of pushy about when it suited them (the student) to do the work attachment. The BJTC secretary kept emphasising that students must be able to contribute useful work (that means finding a story and getting it on air) from day one. No help or training is given on work attachment.
The BJTC encourages employers to throw students "out on to the street" if they are late, if they are difficult, if they have the wrong attitude and so on.
There is no requirement on combined hons students to do a work attachement, though you can if you like. But you can still get your degree if you don'tdo a work placement, or if it does not work out. That's not the case I am afraid on single honours where by the end of year three students have to have done enough practice of news reporting to be able to hack it, at a basic level, in a professional environment.
